Not long ago, the juxtaposition of the aggressively modern with the storied past was the stuff of controversy. Think back to the I. M. Pei glass pyramid at the Louvre, initially considered variously a joke, a potential eyesore, or the ego-fueled folly on the part of President Mitterrand. Today, the pyramid is a classic, and such pairings seem quite normal.
Designer Michael S. Smith’s Park Avenue duplex with Féau Boiseries wall paneling, frames, and cornices in solid oak painted white, used as a backdrop for modern art and furnishings. Photo by J. Pepion.
Féau Boiseries Finds a Balance Between Historic and Modern Interiors
In interior design, the mashup is not always so dramatic, but the effects are still powerful. From a gallery/warehouse/atelier in Paris, Guillaume Féau runs the family business, Féau Boiseries, founded in 1875. His clients, a who’s who of interior designers, come to source paneling and architectural details with the grandeur of the past—although much of it is now reproduced in the company’s workshops and destined for spaces that are resolutely modern.
“More than 80% of my clients mix a classic background with modern furniture and modern art. And it could be with Kusama Murakami, with Warhol, or Basquiat paintings with Neoclassical period paneling painted in white. That mix creates a beautiful effect, and that’s what we try to achieve,” comments Féau.
He says the contrast magnifies what is special. Juxtaposition is sometimes more powerful than period-consistent rule following. Féau talks about a space where a Rothko was placed on wood paneling from centuries prior. “You have this fantastic dialog between your work as a wood carpenter and the Rothko—and the mix is very sexy and very powerful.”
Meanwhile, back at the Louvre, a new exhibition called Louvre Couture places haute couture outfits and accessories from 1960 to 2025 among masterpieces from Byzantium to the Second Empire in the department of Decorative Arts. Balenciaga meets medieval armor, Dolce & Gabbana in dialogue with an 11th-century Italian mosaic. As the French say, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Story by Stephen Treffinger
Photo Courtesy of J. Pepion for Féau Boiseries
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
